Anti-government protesters carry signs against ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as they march in central Bangkok on May 8.

Reuters

BANGKOK–Traffic in central Bangkok slowed to a standstill Friday as protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban pressed rewind on his rather worn copy of Europe’s “The Final Countdown” and prepared his latest attempt to remove Thailand’s government.

The Constitutional Court’s removal of Yingluck Shinawatra as prime minister earlier this week for illegally removing a top civil servant wasn’t quite enough for Mr. Suthep. Nor was her indictment on charges she had mishandled a multibillion dollar rice subsidy.

Now Mr. Suthep wants to root out any traces of Ms. Yingluck’s brother and former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and whom is believed by many of his critics and supporters to still be running the country by proxy — charges he denies. Thailand’s new acting prime minister, Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, used to be an executive at Mr. Thaksin’s old computer company.

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Mr. Suthep’s supporters are now erecting stages in at least one major intersection in the center of the Thai capital and are fanning out to other locations across the city, including television stations and key government facilities.

Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, center, poses for a photograph with supporters during a rally on May 8 in Bangkok.

Associated Press

Mr. Suthep, a 64-year-old former deputy prime minister turned Thailand’s self-styled village leader, instructed his followers to prevent police sending vehicles to break up the protests, but warned them against any violent action. Instead, he advised protesters to hug and kiss police officers.

Fears about a violent escalation of Mr. Suthep’s six-month quest to overthrow Thailand’s elected government and replace it with a royally-appointed administration are growing, however.

The pro-government Red Shirt faction is preparing its own mass protest in Bangkok Saturday, setting up for a tense few days as the long-running battle between Thailand’s populist leaders and Mr. Suthep’s backers in the country’s conservative establishment enters a potentially dangerous new phase.

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